Ariel House Ltdhttp://www.ariel-house.net/blog
Mon, 02 Mar 2015 10:26:04 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.1.1Ariel House – The History of Our Dublin Guesthousehttp://www.ariel-house.net/blog/ariel-house-the-history-of-our-dublin-guesthouse/
http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/ariel-house-the-history-of-our-dublin-guesthouse/#commentsMon, 02 Mar 2015 10:26:04 +0000http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/?p=661Did you know that Ariel House is actually a seamless merging of three splendid Victorian mansions in Ballsbridge? The main house was built in 1850, during the reign of Queen Victoria. It was originally a manor house owned and occupied by a wealthy shipping merchant and his family. The building has operated as a guesthouse […]

Did you know that Ariel House is actually a seamless merging of three splendid Victorian mansions in Ballsbridge? The main house was built in 1850, during the reign of Queen Victoria. It was originally a manor house owned and occupied by a wealthy shipping merchant and his family.

The building has operated as a guesthouse since 1962 and in fact, it was even classified as Ireland’s first ever Grade A guesthouse. It ran under the ownership of Michael O’Brien until April 2002 when the McKeown family purchased the buildings and opened the now multi-award winning Dublin guesthouse, Ariel House.

Today, our role is to keep the appearance of these stunning Victorian buildings alive and ensure that they stay vibrant, cared for and open for all to enjoy. Ariel House has been affectionately restored by the McKeown family over the years, offering a blend of modern amenities and the style and elegance of a time gone by.

To this very day, you can still observe many Victorian features on display throughout our Dublin guesthouse. Some of the most elegant features on display include the beautiful bay windows, the high ceilings – particularly appreciable in our Junior Suite, the Flemish brick work of the building exterior and the ornate stained glass and sash windows. When visiting Ariel House, it really is worth pausing for a moment to take in the wonderful architecture and craftsmanship of these beautiful Victorian features.

Over the past decade, we have carefully sourced antique period furniture, such as four poster beds, for many of the rooms in our Dublin guesthouse to aptly reflect the Victorian era. We have renovated original cornices, fireplaces and windows, and carefully selected fabrics, wallpapers and furniture that respect and enhance the original architecture of the building.

In January of this year, we restored the charming granite steps leading up to our front door, which had been in situ since the main house was built in 1850. At Ariel House, we endeavour to ensure that the Victorian origins of the buildings remain an ever present element of our Dublin guesthouse.

]]>http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/ariel-house-the-history-of-our-dublin-guesthouse/feed/0Rugby Match Days At Ariel Househttp://www.ariel-house.net/blog/rugby-match-days-at-ariel-house/
http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/rugby-match-days-at-ariel-house/#commentsThu, 26 Feb 2015 14:30:38 +0000http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/?p=647 As you may know, Ariel House is located but a stone’s throw away from the world renowned Aviva Stadium on Lansdowne Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Time and time again, we get to experience the thrilling atmosphere that a match day brings. There is always an air of anticipation on Lansdowne Road on the […]

As you may know, Ariel House is located but a stone’s throw away from the world renowned Aviva Stadium on Lansdowne Road in Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. Time and time again, we get to experience the thrilling atmosphere that a match day brings. There is always an air of anticipation on Lansdowne Road on the day of a rugby international match. Even at first light, when the road is completely deserted, there is a sense that something incredible is about to happen at the Aviva Stadium.

Breakfast at Ariel House is always hectic on these mornings. Our chefs in the kitchen will be prepared for a busy breakfast with most of our guests arriving early for breakfast to make the best of the day and soak up the electric pre-match atmosphere. After breakfast, new guests usually start to arrive in quick succession.

Early arrival is paramount for those wanting to get their car parked in advance of the road closure for ticket check. The roads usually close three hours before a game. Our front of house team get to work welcoming these guests and making tea and coffee for them as they wait for their rooms to be ready.

With breakfast over, our kitchen staff begin the task of baking cakes and pastries for Afternoon Tea. In addition, they make a huge batch of sausage rolls which we traditionally serve to guests arriving back after the game. By this stage, Lansdowne Road will be closed to traffic and will have become a pedestrian only zone. This only adds to the carnival atmosphere and enhances the pre-match buzz.

Crowds grow and grow as the lead up to kick off nears closer and there is always an atmosphere of comradely on the road between the fans of opposing teams. At this stage, with most of our guests refreshed and settled in their rooms, our team take an opportunity to people watch – usually from the front steps of Ariel House.

Once the game is in play, we can nearly read the run of play from the stadium as we hear mumbles of cheers and sometimes even a disappointed ahhhh! As the final whistle nears, we prepare ourselves for post-match service and an immediate inflow of match attendees. Tea, coffee and sausage rolls are served in the Drawing Room as a welcome offering for our guests after the game. New friends are made as everyone enjoys a good match post-mortem and analysis.

For the staff at Ariel House, rugby match days are dates in the calendar which we always firmly look forward to!

]]>http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/rugby-match-days-at-ariel-house/feed/0Spring Breakfast Menuhttp://www.ariel-house.net/blog/spring-breakfast-menu/
http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/spring-breakfast-menu/#commentsThu, 19 Feb 2015 08:32:01 +0000http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/?p=629One of my favourite times of the day in our Dublin guesthouse is breakfast in the morning. I love the chatter of our guests, the sound of juices and coffees pouring and the smell of sizzling sausages on the pan. We update our breakfast menu on a regular basis to keep in tune with the […]

One of my favourite times of the day in our Dublin guesthouse is breakfast in the morning. I love the chatter of our guests, the sound of juices and coffees pouring and the smell of sizzling sausages on the pan. We update our breakfast menu on a regular basis to keep in tune with the seasons and to keep our regular guests excited about new additions.

Our traditional Irish fry is always a winner and is a great source of energy if you are going to explore our gorgeous Dublin city! Pancakes, fruit kebabs, crispy bacon with maple syrup, porridge, homemade granola and poached eggs are all very popular and are sure to satisfy!

Rose our resident chef, and one of our longest serving members of staff in our Dublin guesthouse, is a whirlwind in the kitchen and guaranteed to get just the right amount of crispiness for your bacon and softness in your egg! What is your favourite thing to see on a breakfast menu? We would love to hear!

]]>http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/spring-breakfast-menu/feed/0Valentine’s Craftshttp://www.ariel-house.net/blog/valentines-crafts/
http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/valentines-crafts/#commentsWed, 11 Feb 2015 12:13:35 +0000http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/?p=611If you follow us on Pinterest you will know that we are partial to a bit of DIY! If you don’t already follow us, why not come over for a look, we keep our page constantly updated and share with you all of our favourite inspiration. It is a great source of ideas, recipes and […]

If you follow us on Pinterest you will know that we are partial to a bit of DIY! If you don’t already follow us, why not come over for a look, we keep our page constantly updated and share with you all of our favourite inspiration. It is a great source of ideas, recipes and crafts, all of which are photo based, and enables you to make virtual mood boards for all your favourite things. We are all about our Valentines board this week and it’s helping to brighten up even the darkest of winter days!

The team here at our Dublin guesthouse even had a go at making our own tea light holders inspired by Pinterest. So simple and you could let the children help you! We used some glass yoghurt pots, heart shaped stickers, blackboard paint and a little bit of bakers string. Simply peel off the heart stickers when the paint is dry and voila you have a piece of Pinterest to display!

]]>http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/valentines-crafts/feed/0Afternoon Tea Favouriteshttp://www.ariel-house.net/blog/afternoon-tea-favourites/
http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/afternoon-tea-favourites/#commentsThu, 05 Feb 2015 09:59:10 +0000http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/?p=603Almost two years have passed since we first made our delectable treats and hot pots of tea for our Afternoon Tea guests at our guesthouse in Dublin. Lately, I have been looking back on two years’ worth of pictures and recalling wonderful times with people I have met since then. Our Afternoon Tea service started […]

Almost two years have passed since we first made our delectable treats and hot pots of tea for our Afternoon Tea guests at our guesthouse in Dublin. Lately, I have been looking back on two years’ worth of pictures and recalling wonderful times with people I have met since then.

Our Afternoon Tea service started as an opportunity to showcase some of our kitchen’s wonderful baking and has grown into something of an institution in Dublin 4. We regularly have a full house in our dining room and are completely thrilled with the success of it all. Our chefs have really come on-board and often test out new recipes to entice our visitors. Along with our knowledge growing, so have our waistbands, but it’s a small price to pay for the great reviews that we receive.

If you haven’t yet made it to us for Afternoon Tea at our Dublin guesthouse, we would love to see you and promise you’ll be spoilt! Here is a collage of our favourite pictures from the last two years.

]]>http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/afternoon-tea-favourites/feed/0New Year, New Steps!http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/new-year-new-steps/
http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/new-year-new-steps/#commentsThu, 29 Jan 2015 11:28:54 +0000http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/?p=580We have had a particularly quiet month here in Ariel House. There has been no chinking of china or hustle and bustle of everyday life. We closed our front door just before Christmas and are in the midst of a rejuvenation project at our guesthouse in Dublin. Our charming granite steps leading up to our […]

We have had a particularly quiet month here in Ariel House. There has been no chinking of china or hustle and bustle of everyday life. We closed our front door just before Christmas and are in the midst of a rejuvenation project at our guesthouse in Dublin.

Our charming granite steps leading up to our front door have been in situ since 1850 and have been requiring some tender loving care. This was a considerable undertaking and required the best of craftsmen to complete it. We are delighted to have been able to restore them to their former glory and can’t wait to share the fabulous job with you. The well known phrase ‘if walls could talk’ has been temporarily changed to “if stairs could talk” around these parts and if they could I am sure many fascinating tales would be heard! From the elegance of the Victorian age to the eclectic mix of visitors that have passed through our door, many stories could be told and we hope will continue to be told for many years to come.

We look forward to welcoming back all of our guests, both old and new, to our Dublin guesthouse in the coming weeks and to share with you our recent renovations. In the mean time, here’s a snap of the careful labour being undertaken!

The team at Ariel House are so looking forward to getting back to work and doing what we do best, looking after you. In fact, we were thrilled to recently win a Tripadvisor Travellers Choice Award 2015, listed in the top 25 hotels in Ireland for best service. Thank you to everyone who took the time to review us – it’s much appreciated!

]]>http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/new-year-new-steps/feed/0Christmas Pinninghttp://www.ariel-house.net/blog/christmas-pinning/
http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/christmas-pinning/#commentsTue, 23 Dec 2014 16:50:02 +0000http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/?p=555We thought we would make your Christmas a little easier by putting together a few simple ideas, to make the season of goodwill go even smoother than usual for you! We are really enjoying updating our Pinterest account and have brought together some of our favourite Christmas pins in one blogpost! Make Strawberry Santas as […]

]]>
We thought we would make your Christmas a little easier by putting together a few simple ideas, to make the season of goodwill go even smoother than usual for you! We are really enjoying updating our Pinterest account and have brought together some of our favourite Christmas pins in one blogpost!

]]>http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/christmas-pinning/feed/0Mulled Winehttp://www.ariel-house.net/blog/mulled-wine/
http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/mulled-wine/#commentsTue, 16 Dec 2014 09:50:51 +0000http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/?p=536On a cold December day there is nothing more warming than the aroma and taste of a nip of mulled wine. The scent of cinnamon sticks reminds me of Christmas and brings back lovely memories of years gone by. It’s an ever popular addition to our Christmas afternoon tea menu and never fails to please. […]

On a cold December day there is nothing more warming than the aroma and taste of a nip of mulled wine. The scent of cinnamon sticks reminds me of Christmas and brings back lovely memories of years gone by. It’s an ever popular addition to our Christmas afternoon tea menu and never fails to please. Here is a little taster of the recipe featured in our recipe book last year, to help our guests make the most of the festive season. Hope you enjoy!

You will need:

– 1 bottle of red wine

– 2 large oranges, juiced

– 1 lemon, juiced

– 2 cinnamon sticks

– 1 tbsp of honey

– A splash of brandy

– 1 orange, sliced and studded with cloves

Method:

- Place all ingredients into a large pot and allow to heat thoroughly.

– Do not boil.

– Serve immediately.

If you have any variations or tips to share, leave a comment below. After all, there are so many variations of mulled wine all over the world with each culture adding their own twist to it and we’d be delighted to hear yours! Slainte!

]]>http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/mulled-wine/feed/0Rose’s Mince Pieshttp://www.ariel-house.net/blog/roses-mince-pies/
http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/roses-mince-pies/#commentsTue, 09 Dec 2014 09:54:28 +0000http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/?p=512A Christmas spread is never complete without the humble mince pie making an appearance. Light, crumbly pastry, filled with a moist fruit mixture, is a hard combination to beat and we think the ones Rose makes in our kitchen are amongst the best that you will ever taste. As always, we love to share, here […]

A Christmas spread is never complete without the humble mince pie making an appearance. Light, crumbly pastry, filled with a moist fruit mixture, is a hard combination to beat and we think the ones Rose makes in our kitchen are amongst the best that you will ever taste. As always, we love to share, here is the recipe that we use – the ground almonds make the pastry as light as a feather and one definitely tastes like more! You have been warned!

Ingredients (makes 24 mince pies):

• 225g plain flour

• 125g caster sugar

• 100g ground almonds

• 125g margarine (room temperature)

• 1 egg (beaten)

• A little water, if necessary

For Filling:

• 450g mincemeat

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F/Gas 6. Lightly grease patty/bun tins.2. Put flour, sugar and ground almonds into a mixing bowl and mix well together.3. Rub margarine through the dry ingredients. Add the egg and water, if required, and mix to a soft dough.4. Turn onto a lightly floured board and gently knead.5. Cover with cling film and keep in fridge until ready to use. The pastry will keep for about three days.6. Roll pastry on a floured board and cut rounds with a cutter to fit greased bun/patty tins. Put a teaspoon of mincemeat in each and cut a star shaped lid from remaining pastry to put on top.7. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla icecream for a delicious festive treat! Let us know some of your holiday favourites in the comments below, or search for more Christmas recipe inspiration in our recipe collection.

]]>http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/roses-mince-pies/feed/0Christmas Truffleshttp://www.ariel-house.net/blog/christmas-truffles/
http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/christmas-truffles/#commentsTue, 02 Dec 2014 14:39:06 +0000http://www.ariel-house.net/blog/?p=451Well at last December is here and with it the anticipation of frosty days and twinkling fairy lights. Christmas is such a special time of year and brings with it a different atmosphere here in Ariel House. Homecomings, meetings of long lost friends and family gatherings all take place on our steps and in our […]

Well at last December is here and with it the anticipation of frosty days and twinkling fairy lights. Christmas is such a special time of year and brings with it a different atmosphere here in Ariel House. Homecomings, meetings of long lost friends and family gatherings all take place on our steps and in our foyer, bringing good cheer to us all. It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

One of our resident cooks Manu has come up with the most delicious white Christmas truffle recipe that has our guests calling out for more and we have decided to share it with you. It would make a wonderful gift to bring to someone’s house over the festive period and nothing says ‘thank you’ more than something home made. I hope you enjoy these even half as much as we do.

Ingredients:

- 25g butter

– 5 tbsp double cream

– 325g white chocolate

Method:

1. Line a flat tin with baking paper.

2. Melt the butter and the cream together, slowly bring to the boil whilst stirring and allow to boil for one minute.

3. Remove from the heat.

4. Add 225g of the chocolate to the cream and stir until melted.

5. Pour into the tin and refrigerate for two hours.

6. Break off pieces of the mixture and roll into balls. Chill again for thirty minutes.

7. Melt the remaining white chocolate and dip the chilled truffles into the mixture, allow the excess to drip off before placing on baking paper to set.

Share, keep, enjoy, eat! If you recreate this wonderful Christmas recipe, let us know how you found them in the comments below, or share on our Twitter & Facebook pages!